St Philip the Apostle Church

The great school brought us here, but the vibe at mass and in the parish community has been totally uplifted in the last year or so. David L. is doing a tremendous job of bringing this church into a more progressive form without compromising the tradition of mass. I can only hope that the St Philip community will further embrace the spirit David and Father Joe are creating and come together to improve the US Catholic community as a whole (Personal plug… make celibacy optional!)

Where do I begin? Like most of my Catholic friends, I was a casualty of Vatican II. In the 1970s I watched in dismay as Catholic churches tore down altar rails; replaced pipe organs with electric guitars; abandoned Gregorian chant for «Come to Jesus» in whole notes; relegated crucifixes to the trash heap; and transformed the interiors of Catholic churches from places of worship to meeting halls. This was particularly upsetting since I had read the Council documents and knew that wasn’t the intent. But attending Mass that lacked the reverence and solemnity I had grown up with was so distasteful I just stayed away.
In February 2015 I saw a very positive review of St. Philip the Apostle Roman Catholic Church on social media. My husband and I decided to attend the 11:00 am Sunday Mass to see for ourselves. Oh my goodness, it was absolutely beautiful! The traditional choir and organ, the incorporation of sacramentals (bells, candles, crucifix, incense) into the Liturgy, the inspirational homilies, the warm and inviting parishioners who greeted us, the reverence and devotion displayed during Mass — all I can say is, you’ve got to experience it to believe it. We also attended the Life Teen Mass on Sunday evenings and found it youthful in tone yet tasteful and reverent, not to mention extremely well attended. Contrary to some previous posts, I find that the Sunday homilies don’t venture into the political arena at all; instead they seem to emphasize faith, hope, and charity toward all. Daily Mass at 12:05 is very well attended. The parish also has a thriving school (Grades K-​8), an active Family and Children’s ministry, assistance for the poor (St. Vincent de Paul), and other ministries too numerous to mention.
Five stars to St. Philip the Apostle for getting it right in all areas. Come see for yourself. You’ll be glad you did.

Well deacon Richard medina is a mean person. He likes to argue with women for parking when street is public. Is that what he’s learned in church to be greedy!!!

WOW, beautiful church !
My reviews is base only on atheistic since i am not catholic. I came here for my man’s cousin’s baby’s baptism. whew, that was a long one! It was dark and gloomy outside but the inside of the church was really beautiful!
Everything was just so detailed, i do wish they would clean out their restrooms though. its pretty disgusting!

Goddamn (Hehe. Please don’t smite me, Lord). I’d hate to give a church a bad review, but it is WAY different now then it used to be when I was growing up. I’ve been coming here since ’89 (old much?) I’ve had my first communion here, confirmation and will probably have my funeral here (morbid, I know). The church pretty much looks the exact same. Drab. None of the cool priests still preach there except for maybe Father Joe. Monsignor Bauler used to gator grip your hand when he shook it. And I was a fucking kid. But besides the aesthetics and the staff, I gotta say the Homily is what disappointed me the most. On 3 separate occasions, the priest talked about the importance of giving tithings. I mean, I get it. But I felt like I was watching a telethon. Guilt trips galore. I typically give my $ 5 a week and keep it moving but the priest would hint that shit wasn’t good enough. Well good luck getting anything from me now because I ain’t going to church anymore! Man, that sucks. I’m gonna go pray the Hail Mary with 2pac now.

Plenty of parking and pew space. I was able to get my ashes, say a prayer and tip my hat to the saintly statue before heading out.

Such a beautiful church in a beautiful neighborhood!
The church is huge, clean, and the artwork inside is fantastic. The choir this church has is one of the best, if not the best I’ve ever heard, so you will never find yourself falling asleep here (like i use to when i was a kid). Parking here is NEVER an issue due to the huge lot located in the rear and both sides of the church, not even including street parking.
My go to place for Sunday mass and all other occasions (Christmas, Easter, etc). Five stars all around, especially cause it’s a 2 minute walk from my place.

I’ve been going here all my life. I was baptized here, had my communion here, was confirmed here, and even had my daughter baptized here. I was an active member of the LifeTeen Youth Group and was not only a group leader, but also was a Cabin Leader for our confirmation retreats. Don’t misunderstand me, I love being Catholic, but when I go to mass and I feel I’m at the RNC, there’s a problem. As a Hispanic, Democrat, feminist female I would feel completely ostracized during certain sermons where the priest would say anything but «Vote for this Republican nominee». We all know where the Catholic Church stands on controversial issues. I prefer to keep my political life separate from my religious life. I don’t want to be reminded every week how much of a bad Catholic I am because on a national political level, I support a woman’s right to choose how and when she is capable of raising a family.
I have been to other churches, in other states and other countries, where they clearly understand that they have a bi-​partisan congregation and focus completely on religion. If St. Philip’s was more like that, I’d probably give it a 4. Unfortunately my experiences have caused me to stop attending mass here and I’m looking for a more multi-​racial and progressive Catholic church to continue attending and to raise my daughter in.

How do you review a church you’ve been going to all your life?
I went to elementary school here for awhile as well. I’ve always felt a connection to St. Philip’s. Beautiful building; both inside and out. I usually attend Sunday mass is at 12:30PM (Spanish) and Life Teen Program at 5PM (English).
Ah, I just love my church.
And I can say… YOU ARE WELCOMED HERE ANYTIME!

I attended Saturday mass here with a couple of friends. One of them just sat through the whole service because she wasn’t familiar with when to kneel or stand up. The church also has an elementary/​middle school. They had lectures on spirituality in art as well as spirituality and society for adults last year. This is located across the street from Pasadena City College.